Night stick with electric shock means



Jan. 9, 1968 L A VERNE M. I ARsEN ET AL 3,362,711

NIGHT STICK WITH ELECTRIC sHocK MEANS Filed sept. 24, 1964 www mwm@ N mm QW .WMI/Wm NN N wm l l -I 3,352,711 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 3,362,711 NIGHT STICK WETH ELECTRIC SHOCK IVIEANS La Verne M. Larsen and Themas C. Olson, Minneapolis,

Minn., assigner-s to Hot Shot Products Co., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Sept. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 398,996 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-84) This invention relates to an improved night stick or policemans billy.

Civilian and military police lhave learned that the night stick is a versatile and effective weapon and tool for controlling crowds and riots. However it has been experienced in riot control duty, which necessarily involves occasional hand-toehand combat, that a rioter will grab the officers night stick and attempt to take it from him.

An object of our invention is to provide a new and improved night stick of simple and inexpensive construction and operation.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel night stick which is constructed and may be operated so as to minimize the likelihood of the night stick being grabbed and wrestled away from the policeman by an unauthorized person.

A further object of our invention is to provide an improved and novel policemans billy which may be used in various manners with increased efficiency as a weapon in hand-to-hand fights and similar violent situations.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and inwhich:

FIG. l is an elevation view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the invention with portions thereof being broken away to facilitate enlargement of detail.

FIG. 3 is an electro-mechanical schematic view illustrating the circuit and components of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a detail view taken of a portion of the apparatus as viewed at 4 4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front end elevation view of the invention with portions thereof broken away and shown in section for clarity of detail.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail section taken at 6 6 in FIG. 2.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawings and is described herein. The policemans billy is indicated in general by numeral 10 and includes an elongated rigid member 11 of generally tubular construction, and the rigid tube 11 is preferably constructed of steel. The forward end portion 11a of the rigid tube is enlarged, slightly, as compared to the intermediate portion 11b and the rear end portion 11C. The intermediate and front portions 11b and 11a respectively of the elongate steel tube 11 are confined Within a resiliently compressible and electrically insulating sleeve 12 which may be constructed of vinyl plastic material, and the rear portion 11i,` of the tube is confined within another resiliently compressible and electrically insulating sleeve 13 constructed of rubber. The front end of sleeve 13 abuts the rear end of sleeve 12 so as to completely confine and seal the rigid steel tube 11. The extreme rear end of tube 11 is conned by a removable insulating cap 14 constructed of substantially rigid molded plastic material with a threaded stud 15 embedded therein. The stud 15 is threaded through a metallic plate 16 which mounts a spring 17 which may be either a leaf spring or a coil spring and in the form shown, a leaf spring is illustrated. The plate 16 contines an expandible plug 18 of rubber so that when the cap 14 is moved onto the rear end of tube 11, and when the cap 14 is subsequently rotated, the spring 17 will engage the rear most battery 19 in the tube 11 and may also engage the interior periphery of tube 11 so as to restrain the plate 16 from revolving in the tube 11, and therefore the stud 15 will revolve in the threaded aperture of the plate 16 so as to cause the plate 16 to compress the plug 1S and expand the same laterally outwardly into engagement with the tube 11 for holding the cap 14 in desired place.

The several batteries 19 in the tube 11 engage each other in end-to-end relation and forward most battery engages a metallic contact 20 mounted in a insulating disc 21 which is aiiixed to the rear end 22 of an insulating conductor guide and filler 23 which in the form shown is constructed of wood. The rear end 22 is bifurcated so as to dene a slot type opening 22a in which a switch 24 is mounted on rigid pins 25 extending through both sides of the bifurcated rear end 22 of the conductor mounting member 23.

It will rbe seen that the switch 24 has an operating button 26, projecting through an enlarged opening 27 of the tube 11 so that the resilient thumb-operating button portion 28 of the rubber sleeve 13 bears directly against the button 26 to permit operating the switch 24 by merely applying manual pressure with a persons thumb against the portion 2S of the rubber sleeve 13.

A rigid plastic plug or capsule 29 is illustrated pictorially in FIGS. 2 and 4, and is denoted in the circuit diagram of FIG. 3 by the dotted line to emphasize that the plug or capsule 29 confines a number of circuit elements and circuit conductors. The capsule 29 is constructed primarily of an insulating plastic molded material suitable as a potting compound for encapsulating the circuit components illustrated in FIG. 3. The capsule or plug 29 is rigid and has a head portion 3i) projecting outwardly beyond the end of the rigid tube 11, and also has a diminished portion 31 projecting well into the steel tube 11 and being secured therein by a friction fit or in some instances by adhesive. The head portion 30 of the capsule or plug 29 has a pair of bare electrical contacts 32a and 32h mounted thereon. The contacts have elongate shank portions extending into the head 30 to provide electrical connection to the remainder of the circuitry hereinafter described. The Shanks 33a and 33h have conductive studs 34a and 341) projecting radially outwardly to the side periphery of the head 30, and each of the studs 34a and 341; engages in electrically conductive relation, a substantially rigid open ended loop or ring of bare wire or rod type conductor indicated at 35a and 35b. The rings 35a and 3512 are embedded slightly in spaced grooves 36 in the plastic material of the head 30, but as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, portions of the bare wires or conductor rings 35a and 35b do project radially outwardly beyond the surface of the head 30 so as to be readily engageable by a persons hand which grips the end of the night stick 10.

A pair of substantially rigid wire conductors 37a and 37b are wound in parallel, spaced, and side-by-side relation with each other spirally along the intermediate portion of the rigid member 11 in overlying relation with the exterior periphery of the insulating sleeve 12 so that the bare wires 37a and 37b are exposed to the exterior.

' The wires 37a and 37b are embedded, at least, partly into the surface of the resilient sleeve 12 and the resilient material of the sleeve 12 conforms itself closely to the surface configuration 0f the wires 37a and 37b where embedded so as to minimize access to the `lower side of these wires and thereby prevent ripping of these wires from the night stick 163. The wires 37a and 37b, which are preferably constructed of substantially rigid material which may be steel are turned inwardly through the insulating sleeve 12 at their opposite ends, and at one end of each of the wires a connection is made to the insulated wires 38a and 38h which extend through grooves formed in the conductor mounting member 23 and are connected by spring contacts 39a and 391) to contacts 40a and 4Gb on the capsule or plug 29. The contacts 40a and 4011 are on the rear end face of the capsule 29, and an additional contact 41 is also centered at this rear end of the capsule 29 for engagement with an additional spring contact 42 connected by a conductor 43 extending through one of the grooves of the member 23 to an ear 24a on the switch 24. It will be seen that another ear 24h of the switch 24 is connected by a conductor 44 to the eyelet and the insulating panel 21 for connecting the batteries to the circuitry in the capsule 29.

The capsule 29 has a further spring contact 45 at its side periphery and engaging the steel tube 11 for connecting the circuitry to the negative side of the batteries 19.

The capsule 29 contines a transformer T, a transistor Q and a number of resistances R-l and R-2. It will be seen that the contact 40a is connected within the capsule directly to the pounding shank 33a and therefore to the contact 32a the wire ring 35a. The contact 401; is likewise connected directly to the mounting shank 33h and therefore to the contact 3212 and the wire conductor 35b. The contacts 40a and 40b are connected to the opposite ends of the secondary winding S of the transformer T, it will be seen that the secondary winding has in one instance, 3400 turns of wire.

The primary winding P of the transformer T has a center tap terminal P-2, and also has terminals P-1 and P-3 at the opposite ends of the primary winding. The primary winding in the form shown has 125 turns between terminals P-1 and P-2; and has 250 turns of wire between terminals P-2 and P-3. The terminal P-l of the primary winding is connected by conductor 46 directly to the contact 45 which is connected through the battery 19 and switch 24 to the contact 41. The contact 41 is connected directly to the collector of the transistor Q by conductor 47.

The center tap terminal P-2 of the primary winding of the transformer is connected directly by conductor 48 to the emitter e of the transistor Q. The base b of transistor Q is connected by resistor R-l to the emitter e of transistor Q; and the base b of the transistor Q is also connected by resistor R-Z to the terminal T-3 of the primary winding of transformer T.

In the operation of the circuit, closing of the switch 24 causes an emitter-to collector current to ow which necessarily also ows through the primary winding between terminals P-1 and P-Z. Because of the transformer action, an extremely high potential is generated at the opposite ends of the secondary winding S, and therefore this high potential is developed between the bare wire conductors 37a and 37b; between contacts 32a and 32h; and between bare wire conductive rings 35a and 35b. If the end of the night stick is touched against a persons body simultaneously with closing of the switch 24, a person will experience a shock due to the high initial voltage between the contacts 32a and 321;. Likewise if a person were to grip the conductor rings 35a and 3517 with his hand while the switch is closed, a substantial shock would be experienced. Similarly, if a person takes hold of the intermediate portion of the night stick so as to Simultaneously engage the wire conductors 37a and 37b, a substantial shock is obtained. The circuit has very small sustaining power and therefore the potential diminishes rapidly after a persons hand or body is engaged between opposite conductors or contacts. However it will be understood that even though one is able to resist the initial shock produced by engaging the wire conductors 37a and 37b, if the switch 24 is opened and then closed again,

a second substantial shock is produced to the person gripping the conductors.

The person using this night stick will ordinarily hold the rubber sleeve 13 or handle so as to be ready to push the button 28 to operate switch 24.

The night stick may be used to prod or push persons in riot control and the contacts 32a and 32b and alternately rings 35a and 35h are effective to administer substantial shock to persons in sensitive areas.

Occassionally it becomes necessary to physically push persons, as when attempting to restrain a crowd at parades and appearances of new worthy persons. The person using the night stick 1t) will grip the night stick at the handle 13 and also adjacent the front end of the night stick, between the windings 37a, 37b and the rings 35a and 35h.

lf one attempts to grip the night stick at its intermediate portion in an attempt to take it away from the possessor of it the bare conductors 37a and 37b will undoubtedly be engaged, whereupon as the switch 24 is closed a substantial shock will be administered.

Additionally, the night stick 10 may be used in a multiplicity of manners that night sticks are traditionally used without any likelihood of damaging the electrical circuit effecting the electrical shocks at the contacts and wires.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of our invention.

We claim:

1. A policemans billy:

comprising an elongate rigid member having opposite ends and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion having means defining an electrically insulating exterior periphery, one of said ends forming a handle and the other of said ends being unencumbered as to permit additional manual grasping of said member,

a pair of bare conductors on the exterior insulating periphery of said rigid member at said intermediate portion, said conductors being disposed adjacent each other to thereby be simultaneously engaged by a persons hand gripping said rigid member at the intermediate portion thereof,

and electrical means connected with said rigid member and with said conductors and applying a shocking electric potential to said conductors, whereby to loosen the grip of a persons hand applied to said intermediate portion.

2. A policemans billy:

comprising an elongate rigid member having opposite ends an an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion having means defining an electrically insulating rcsiliently compressible exterior periphery, one of said ends forming a handle and the other of said ends being unencumbered as to permit additional manual grasping of said members,

a pair of bare wire conductors in side-by-side relation spirally wound on the resiliently compressible insulating periphery and said wires being partially embedded in said compressible periphery, said means conforming closely to the surface configuration of the embedded portions of the wire conductors to retain the wire conductors in stationary position on the rigid member and to obstruct access beneath the spirally wound wire conductor and thereby prevent forcible detachment of the wire from the rigid member,

and electrical means connected with said rigid member and with said conductors and applying a shocking electric potential to said conductors whereby to loosen the grip of a persons hand applied to said intermediate portion.

3. A policemans billy:

comprising an elongate rigid member having opposite trically to said first mentioned bare Wire conductors,

and an electrical circuit means Within the hollow interior of said rigid member and including a manually operable switch adjacent the handle and also including battery means within the hollow interior of said rigid member, the circuit means producing a shock between said bare wire conductors with a high initial potential and a rapidly diminshing potental subsequent to operaton of the switch and engagement by a rst pair of bare wire conductors in side by side relalo a persons hands simultanously with one pair of said tion and spirally wound on the insulating periphery bare wire conductors. of said intermediate portion and being partially embedded in the resiliently compressible material, said insulative and compressible material conforming closely to the surface configuration of the embedded 15 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS portions 0f the wire conductors to retain the Wire 2981465 4/1961 Bartel 231- 2 conductors in stationary position on the rigid mem- FOREIGN PATENTS ber and to obstruction access beneath the spirally 834 216 3/1952 Germany wound conductors and thereby prevent forceable detachment of the wire from the rigid member,

said other of said ends of the rigid member also having a second pair of bare Wire conductors spaced from said intermediate portion and each of said second pair of bare wire conductors being connected elec- 20 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POLICEMAN''S BILLY: COMPRISING AN ELONGATE RIGID MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS AND AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN ELECTRICALLY INSULATING EXTERIOR PERIPHERY, ONE OF SAID ENDS FORMING A HANDLE AND THE OTHER OF SAID ENDS BEING UNENCUMBERED AS TO PERMIT ADDITIONAL MANUAL GRASPING OF SAID MEMBER, A PAIR OF BARE CONDUCTORS ON THE EXTERIOR INSULATING PERIPHERY OF SAID RIGID MEMBER AT SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID CONDUCTORS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT EACH OTHER TO THEREBY BE SIMULTANEOUSLY ENGAGED BY A PERSON''S HAND GRIPPING SAID RIGID MEMBER AT THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID RIGID MEMBER AND WITH SAID CONDUCTORS AND APPLYING A SHOCKING ELECTRIC POTENTIAL TO SAID CONDUCTORS, WHEREBY TO LOOSEN THE GRIP OF A PERSON''S AND APPLIED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION. 